Prenatal care, also known as antenatal care, is a type of preventive healthcare. Its goal is to provide regular check-ups that allow doctors to treat and prevent potential health problems throughout the course of the pregnancy and to promote healthy lifestyles that benefit both mother and child. A proper antenatal check-up provides necessary care to the mother and helps identify any complications of pregnancy such as anemia, pre-eclampsia and hypertension etc. in the mother and slow/inadequate growth of the fetus.
Components of Antenatal Checkup
- Confirm pregnancy
- Identify the current medical conditions that may complicate the current pregnancy
- Observe the normal growth of the fetus and prescribe remedies for any abnormalities
- Provide necessary therapies to reduce pain or any complications during the process
- To determine the expected date of delivery